June 7, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State seniors Spencer Johnson and Sam Perez took home the top team honors Tuesday when the Bears unveiled their team award-winners for the 2016 season. Johnson was chosen as the Bears' A.E. "Ted" Willis Most Valuable Player and Perez claimed the Dave Dickensheet Outstanding Pitcher Award, while freshman Jeremy Eierman was selected Danny Cook Rookie of the Year in a vote of their MSU teammates.

A second-team All-MVC selection as an outfielder, Johnson enjoyed a banner senior campaign, launching an NCAA Division I-best 24 home runs to go along with career-high totals for RBIs (70), runs (56), triples (3) and total bases (157). The Springfield, Mo., product currently leads the MVC in walks (46) and slugging percentage (.707) and ranks second in total bases and third in runs, RBIs and sacrifice flies (6). He was twice named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week this spring, most notably following his April 6 performance vs. Kansas, in which he became the first Bear to homer three times in a game since 1999 and the first MSU player to drive in nine runs in 20 years.

Johnson capped his MSU career with a landmark run through the MVC Championship in Terre Haute, belting five home runs to earn most outstanding player recognition in leading the Bears to a runner-up finish. He completed his playing career in the No. 18 spot on MSU's career hits list with 218, second on the Bears' all-time walks chart (133) and ninth in career doubles (49). Additionally, his home run total this spring rates as the fifth-best in program history, while his 70 RBIs are the seventh-highest total ever for a Bear.

Perez also saved his best for his final season as a Bear, earning MVC All-Tournament honors with three clutch relief performances in just four days to help lock up MSU victories at the Valley meet in Terre Haute last month. The right-hander finished off his Bears career in memorable fashion, going 8-0 overall and logging 22.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last six outings. Perez was dominant throughout the spring, totaling an MVC-best 112 strikeouts in a Missouri State single-season record 36 appearances. He also led all Valley pitchers in opponent average (.196) and ranked sixth in both victories (8) and ERA (2.86).

The Branson, Mo., product earned a pair of victories at the MVC Championship to reach the 20-win mark for his career and climbed to fifth on the Bears' single-season strikeout chart, moving past three-time All-American Nick Petree on that list. He concluded his career with a 0.909 win percentage (20-2), matching Greg Reed for the best mark in the 53-year history of the program. Additionally, Perez became just the fourth MSU hurler to reach 80 career mound appearances and the 10th Bear to top the 100-strikeout plateau in a season.

A freshman shortstop from Warsaw, Mo., Eierman burst onto the scene with a memorable rookie year that included nine homers and 48 RBIs as a key cog in the Bears' potent offense. Eierman made all 59 starts at shortstop for MSU, finishing the year with a .296 batting average, while slugging .504 and tallying 68 hits, with the latter two figures ranking third overall on the squad. In Valley play, he registered one of the top all-around seasons in the league, leading all players in RBIs (25), while ranking second in homers (5) and third in total bases (44)-all three of which led the Bears.

Eierman's season included several statistical totals that ranked among the top rookie marks in the history of the MSU program. His nine homers represented the third-best freshman total in school history and the most by a Bear rookie since 1999, while his RBI (fifth), runs scored (ninth) and hits (10th) totals all ranked in the top 10 for Missouri State freshman.

Missouri State's annual team awards are named in honor of three former Bears who made significant contributions to the University's athletics programs. Ted Willis was an MSU football letterman in 1918, and the Bears' team MVP award carries his name through a plaque donated by his widow in memory of his long-standing interest and support of MSU athletics. The Bears' top rookie honor is named for Danny Cook, a standout third baseman for the Bears from 1966 through 1969 who died of leukemia in 1989. Finally, Dave Dickensheet is a Missouri State Athletics Hall of Famer who pitched for the Bears from 1979 through 1982 before succumbing to cancer in 1991.

Missouri State concluded its 2016 season as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament runner-up with an overall record of 38-21, marking the 28th time in 34 seasons under head coach Keith Guttin the Bears have reached the 30-win mark.